32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: January 2022

By Erich Karkoschka

Mercury is visible in the evening sky at dusk and is less than 4 degrees below Saturn from the 9th to the 16th. Around January 16th it switches to the morning sky (about two weeks after Venus) and visible around the 31st.
Venus is visible at early dusk until the 5th. It is larger than one arc-minute in diameter, the largest it can get, and less than two percent illuminated. A spectacular crescent in the telescope. Starting on the 11th, it is the morning “star” with altitudes quickly climbing. By the end of the month it is already well up at the start of dawn.
The Moon comes into the evening sky on the 3rd, when it is about as difficult to see as Mercury and just a little below Mercury. The next evening, the Moon joins Saturn and the following evening, it joins Jupiter.
Iris has a good opposition in Gemini and is brighter than magnitude 8.
Mars is low at dawn. It is close to Antares on the 1st but 20 degrees further east by the end of the month.
Jupiter is still higher than Saturn and keeps going once the other three planets have left the evening sky. By the 31st, it sets within an hour of the end of dusk.
Saturn also switches from evening to morning visibility, but much more slowly. It leave the evening sky on the 19th and will not be visible in the morning until March.
Uranus and Neptune are still higher than Jupiter in the evening sky. Uranus transits just after the end of twilight at 72 degrees altitude.
Comet Leonard could be the best comet of the year during the first week of January, maybe as bright as 3rd magnitude with a nice tail. It is almost stationary 20 degrees to the lower left of Saturn, quite low when dusk ends. Then, it will get even lower and will probably fade, ending its visibility.

Stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation for some stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch. We will observe planets, star clusters, multiple star systems, nebulae, galaxies, and lots more. Registration is required. Go to Eventbright and search for stargazing Canoa Ranch.

Tucson Star Party

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) in conjunction with Editors from the Astronomy Magazine and Pima Community College East for an evening of stargazing. We will observe planets, star clusters, multiple star systems, nebulae, galaxies, and lots more through several telescopes. Observing will be at the south end of the PCC East Campus near the astronomy domes. Follow our Facebook event for any real-time updates or adjustments due to weather at:  TAAA Facebook Events page

Stargazing at Canoa Ranch

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation for an evening of stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch. Canoa Ranch is located south of Tucson along I-19 at 5375 S I-19 Frontage Road. Event will go from 6 – 8 pm. Pre-Registration is required. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/ and search for Stargazing Canoa Ranch to register.

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: December 2021

By Erich Karkoschka

Starting on the 22nd, Mercury joins the other three planets at dusk. First, it is below Venus. Then on the 29th to the left of Venus, and then further left and higher than Venus.
Venus is at its brightest during early December. On the 6th, the moon will be close to it. You may be able to find Venus well before sunset about 3 degrees above the moon. Later in December, it rapidly approaches the sun and thus gets low during dusk. By the end of the year, its diameter exceeds one arc-minute, the largest it can get. Its slim crescent is a beautiful sight in telescopes and also visible in binoculars.
From the 5th to the 8th, the lunar crescent passes the three bright planets at dusk. On the last morning of the year, it is close to Mars and Antares.
Mars is the lonely planet at dawn, but faint and low, fare below Spica.
Ceres is still 7th magnitude in Taurus, but fading. On the other hand, Iris is brightening at 8th magnitude in Cancer.
Jupiter is about 15 degrees higher then Saturn and still well positioned for telescopic observations.
Saturn is about 15 degrees above Venus and 15 degrees below Jupiter. It will become invisible in January.
Uranus and Neptune are high in the evening sky. Jupiter will be catching up with Neptune and pass it in April, invisible behind the Sun.
Comet Leonard is in the morning sky near the limit of naked eye visibility until it gets too close to the sun on the 12th. On the 3rd, it is close to globular cluster M3. On the 6th, it is 5 degrees to the left of Arcturus. On the 10th, it is 5 degrees to the left of Alpha Serpentis.
A Total solar eclipse occurs on the 4th, but is far away in Antarctica.
32 inch Cassegrain Project

Stargazing for the Holiday’s

Do you have friends or family visiting over the Holiday’s? Interested in a private stargazing adventure? We can provide a detailed tour of the universe at our astronomy site ~100 miles southeast of Tucson or at a location of your choosing in Tucson or Southern Arizona. To request a reservation and check availability and pricing, visit our Tucson Stargazing Adventures webpage at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/community-services/tucson-stargazing-adventures/

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – February 2022

Constellation of the Month:  

None

Presenter:

We do not have a constellation of the month for this meeting.

Main Presentation:  

Uncommon Star Types Like Pulsar’s

Presenter:  ???

Our only topic for the night will be a continuation of our recent topic on Star classification about the uncommon star types like pulsar’s. 

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – January 2022

Constellation of the Month:  

None

Presenter:

We do not have a constellation of the month for this meeting.

Main Presentation:  

Asterisms

Presenter:  Peter Hermes

Peter Hermes will discuss various asterisms, (which is a pattern or group of stars).

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – December 2021

Constellation of the Month:  

None

Presenter:

We do not have a constellation of the month for this meeting.

Main Presentation:  

Classifying Star Types

Presenter:  Connor Justice

Our only topic for the night will be Classifying Star Types by Connor Justice.

ONLINE – General Meeting – February 2022

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hot Jupiters

Presentation:  Dr. Megan Mansfield will present on Hot Jupiters; gas giant exoplanets (planets outside the Solar System) that are similar in size to Jupiter. However, the scorching hot temperatures of Hot Jupiters go as high as several thousand degrees. That makes their chemistry very unlike that of the Solar System’s Jupiter. For example, a typical Hot Jupiter might be warm enough for it to rain liquid iron instead of water. In her talk, Dr. Mansfield will describe some of the unique properties of Hot Jupiters. She’ll also share Hubble Space Telescope observations of Hot Jupiters which give information on the properties of their atmospheres. And she will describe how these observations were used to construct a “field guide” to Hot Jupiters, to help researchers learn more about these unique planets, including how they formed.

Bio:  Megan Mansfield is originally from Des Moines, Iowa. She went to college at MIT and graduate school at the University of Chicago before moving to Tucson to become a NASA Sagan Fellow at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory. She works with Daniel Apai, using both ground-based and space-based telescopes to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. Outside of work, she enjoys running, making music, and hanging out with her cats, Orion and Luna.

7:15 pm – TAAA’s Policy on Working with Minors Training

TAAA President Mae Smith and Star Party Manager Jim Knoll will present the Triennial requirement for TAAA’s Policy on Working with Minors. This training is required for members participating in the School/Nonprofit Star Party program, the Tucson Stargazing Adventures paid star party program, and any members that might be involved in educational or telescope programs in remote locations such as the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (CAC) or at TIMPA. This training is recommended for all other TAAA members and is a good opportunity to broaden knowledge of TAAA programs and policies. The presentation will provide policy background and review circumstances that may be experienced when conducting these educational outreach programs. It will also review the five activity levels and provide an opportunity to seek clarification or ask questions. Estimated training time is 45 minutes. (Note that this is Fundamentals Training, which covers most common TAAA activities with minors. An Advanced Training will be announced when offered.)